Saving Big Money on Groceries in 2022

A recent Instagram story of mine got more attention than expected, so I’m going to plan out my meals for the entire month of April and show you how I plan to save $600 on groceries. I spent a staggering $1400 on groceries last month, so it is time to make some changes. I prefer to make these changes little by little, so my new $800/month for a family of four may still sound like a lot to you, but I’m trying over here!

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Groceries Have Gotten Very Expensive

My hardcore homesteading friends may laugh at this meal plan, as they grow all their own food and raise cattle. Love you all… But this isn’t for you! There are lots of hardcore homesteaders on the internet. My super budget conscious friends… Not for you either! Also a lot of information on the internet on how to save even more money living on beans and rice. This is for the average American (like myself) who spends way to much money on groceries and wants to progressively get better and better. I am always growing, always learning… And always making mistakes along the way.

This isn’t a new concept at all, but for some reason… Most of us just don’t do it.

Why don’t most people meal plan?

It takes time
We don’t want to know how much we spend on groceries
We might want something else to eat on any given day

Why you should meal plan

It saves money
It’s healthier than ordering take out or fast food when you don’t know what to cook

Today, I want to talk all about the money side. We all know food prices are rising (7.9% in a year). Don’t get political with me about this. We should pay for good food as long as the right people are getting paid… Anyways…

I see people all over the internet spending pennies on groceries per month… but honestly, they eat stuff I’d never buy. That’s not realistic for my family or for most families.

I want to save money, and I want to save money while still eating delicious, organic, grass fed, non-GMO goodness.

Why do I want to eat organic?

Maybe you don’t. And that’s fine. You do you. You will save a lot of money… For now. I want to ingest as few pesticides as possible. And if that’s your only concern, you might be able to shop by the Dirty Dozen/ Clean 15 rule. I try to buy as much organic as possible for humanitarian and sustainability reasons (people have to spray the pesticides, and people and animals have to live off of the ground water by the farms). We will save all that for another day.

Where I Plan to Shop to Save Money

Sam’s club
My military commissary (A standard grocery store with slightly cheaper prices and substandard produce)
Azure standard (An online farm/health food store that has drops all over the country. This is a great place to buy in bulk. If you order through my link, I get an additional $25 toward my next order)
And of course, local farms

This month, I went by what was cheapest in each location. I kind of live in the middle of nowhere, so my Sam’s club doesn’t have any organic produce, or organic anything for that matter. Yours might, so you’ll have to research.

I would love to continue to buy more and more from local farms, but right now it costs a lot more and I don’t have a good farmers market where I can get everything at once. I have two teeny ones to drag around with me. Excuses, excuses… I know. I did just go and pick strawberries locally and froze them for smoothies. I also plan to make my own yogurt in my new instant pot this weekend.

The Meal Plan Game Plan

I plan to buy almost everything I need in one weekend, and just fill in the super perishable items when needed. Every time we go to the grocery store, we ALWAYS pick up stuff that was not on the list. So if you go twice a week… You’re probably spending an extra $20 or more just by stepping foot in the store. We plan to do order pick up for all of these items so we don’t get swindled by the fun stuff on the end caps.

Below are my grocery lists for this weekend (April 1). I already have some items on hand, and some of these items will last me several months.

Sam’s Club Grocery List to Save Money

Eggs
Tortilla Chips
Milk
Cheese
Flour Tortillas
Hamburger Buns (eventually plan to make my own)
Garden Veggie Puffs Variety Pack
Organic Grass Fed Beef 3lb X3
TOTAL $119.51

Azure Standard Bulk Grocery List

Bulk Italian Dressing Mix
Bulk Frozen Blueberries
Bacon, Beef Brisket
Onions
Bell Peppers
Broccoli Soup Mix
Bulk Bread Flour
Bulk Maple Syrup
Bulk Rolled Oats
Russet Potatoes
Celery
Sea Salt
TOTAL $176.24

Military Commissary Grocery List to Save Money

Chuck Roast
Bacon X2
Mild Italian Sausage
Oat Milk X3
Heavy Whipping Cream
American Singles
Mexican Cheese
Pizza Cheese
Frozen Pineapple
Diced Tomatoes X6
Pepperoncinis
BBQ Sauce
Grape Jelly
All Purpose Flour
Maple Syrup
Hoagie Rolls
Dave’s White Bread
Mexican Coca Cola (shh… you didn’t see this. It’s my vice).
Juice Boxes
Baby Teethers
Baby Pouches
Lemons
Grape Tomatoes
Garlic
Romaine
Green Beans
TOTAL: $215.94

So anyways… What the meal plan?

Breakfast and Lunch Meal Plan

We eat the same things for breakfast every single day:

Sourdough Pancake (I make bulk and freeze. I was buying the Kodiak ones but… $$$)
Sausage
English Muffin
Eggs
Fruit

For lunch, I am prepping salads for my husband and I will have soups and pasta salad. My toddler will eat peanut butter and jellies… sometimes… maybe the ever so healthy fruit snacks… and maybe sand.

Salad with chicken
Broccoli Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Uncrustable PB&Js (I am going to attempt to make my own and freeze them using this).

My April 2022 Dinner Meal Plan

This ends up being pretty boring eating the same thing most weeks. However, I think most of us pretty much do that anyways. By no means did I pick the cheapest meals. I picked things we enjoy and that I could buy in one swoop for the month. I am also in a stage of life where I need easy meals. I love fancier meals that take more effort, but with an infant and a toddler… it’s not my time.

Create Your Own Monthly Meal Plan to Save Money

Don’t want to use my plan to save money? That’s fine, I guess. Sign up below for a free printable so you can create your own (it includes mine too, if you want to join me!).

Saving Money After I Shop

I just discovered Ibotta, an app where you can clip coupons FOR THE THINGS YOU ALREADY PLAN TO BUY, then take a photo of your receipt after you shop and you get cash back. It doesn’t take a lot of time, and within two weeks I have almost $15 in cash back waiting for me. Clipping coupons is not really my thing, as it is very time consuming. Ibotta seems easy enough and I could see us earning quite a bit of cash back over the year if we remember to use it. If you use my link, I will get $10 for your first $10 earned.

Let’s Hope I Can Actually Save Money!

I am interested to see how much money this can actually save us. I am also interested to see what I forget in my large grocery orders and how many times I will have to have my husband go grab things from the grocery store on his way home from work. Planning this far in advance takes practice. I imagine I will get better each month. I will keep you updated.

Let me know in the comments if you want any of the mentioned recipes!